Something More
by littleredpeach
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryuu have developed a very... physical relationship. Ichigo realises that he wants something more meaningful, more emotional - but will Ishida return those feelings? WARNING: YAOI, LEMON.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys. Sorry for the long wait - school, as usual, has been highly demanding... However, now that holidays are here - FINALLY!! - I can concentrate on writing my stories! YAY!! Anyways, this story is VERY different to my other stories, and is the first time I've ever written something like this so let me know what I did good, bad, etc. You know the deal. Enjoy!**

**WARNING: YAOI, LEMON**

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He bit his lip, trying to hold in the groan that was threatening to escape from his lips. As usual, his lover's talented hands and mouth were doing extremely tantalising things to the lower part of his body. He gasped as he felt a soft, warm tongue lick the underside of his throbbing member, which was growing harder by the second. Ishida panted, his glasses beginning to slide of his face as he sweated from the effort of not crying out in ecstasy. If anyone were to be nearby and hear them… All thought ceased as he felt his cock enveloped in the hot, moist cavern that was Kurosaki Ichigo's mouth. Ishida let out a low moan, his hands clenching into fists against the wall, concerns about discovery forgotten. His hands flew to Ichigo's head as he took in more of Ishida, who grunted slightly in pain, sending vibrations running along Ishida's fully erect penis.

Ichigo began moving, ever so slowly, grinning slightly as he could feel Ishida gradually losing control. Despite the number of times Ishida protested against such actions in public places, Ichigo could tell that he enjoyed them too much to give them up. He increased his pace slightly and felt Ishida respond, his hips thrusting faintly. He looked up, pleased at how flushed and disarrayed Ishida was. His eyes began to flutter and roll back into his head; a sign that he was close. He began to speed up some more, massaging Ishida's ass as he did so. Above him he could hear Ishida's breath coming in short, sharp gasps and knew that he was about to come. He swirled his tongue around Ishida's head, causing Ishida to come immediately. His seed shot into Ichigo's mouth, who instantly swallowed it all. He leant back, licking his lips and looking up at Ishida, amusement clear in every line of his face. Ishida looked back down at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

They stayed like that for several moments until Ichigo broke the contact to do up Ishida's pants. After he finished, he stood up and kissed Ishida briefly on the lips, just as the bell rang, announcing the end of lunch.

"You should tidy yourself up, Ishida," Ichigo commented languidly. "You're a mess."

With that, he turned and headed towards the stairs at the other end of the roof. Ishida scoffed, then straightened himself out. After he was done, he also made his way to the stairs, his mind replaying the sublime memory of Ichigo's mouth teasing and fulfilling him. He stirred slightly at the memory, and squashed it down before it could become a problem.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, Ichigo's mind constantly straying towards Ishida. As he began the trek that would lead him home, he thought about the relationship he had with Ishida and sighed. While the sex was great, that's all it really was. Sex, with the rather frequent passionate kisses that almost always lead to sex. Not that there was anything wrong with the sex they had. But Ichigo wanted more. He wanted it to be something meaningful, something more than just a quick romp to relieve sexual desires and frustrations. But how could he broach the subject to Ishida? He was touchy at the best of times and he didn't want to bring it up during sex. It wouldn't seem right. Ichigo sighed again, but this time he wasn't so sad. Bringing this up with Ishida would be a challenge, and that was what Ichigo revelled in. He would figure out a way, no matter how long it took him. With that decision firmly in mind, he picked up his pace, feet no longer dragging.

x x x x x x x x x x

"MY SON! YOU HAVE ARRIVED HOME AT LAST!!" cried Isshin, Ichigo's father. He leapt at his son, who dodged with an air of one who was used to this behaviour.

"Hi Dad," Ichigo replied.

Isshin paused, staring after his son. His son never backed down like that. He just walked off. It was highly unusual of his son to do that.

"Hmmm…" Isshin mused to himself. "This requires some serious investigation!"

Having decided that investigating his son's peculiar mood would be beneficial to all involved, Isshin not-so-subtly followed his son to his bedroom door who, upon stepping inside the threshold, told his father that whatever he was trying to do wasn't going to work.

"Besides," he added, "I'm not in the mood."

The door slammed in Isshin's very surprised face. His son would never have given up on a fight like that. Something must have been seriously wrong for his teenage boy to be like this. But then again, Ichigo was in his late teens now and was probably suffering from the typical teenage issues: identity crises, relationship troubles, sexuality confusion and general crazy hormones. But his son was a healthy young man who could take care of himself and, surely, he would ask his worldly father if he had any problems. Of course, there was the problem of Ichigo perhaps being too shy to ask his father about these manly things! Well then, he would have to find out what the problem was and think of a way to get his dear, but unfortunately unguided, son.

Ichigo flopped back onto his bed, thinking. The more he thought about it, the surer he became. He didn't want his… relationship to be a purely physical, sexual, thing. He wanted it to be meaningful; he wanted an emotional connection in this relationship. But at the same time, he didn't want to ruin the amicable friendship that they had – that was, of course, not counting the sexual side of it. He valued the Quincy's thoughts and opinions, even though they didn't often agree with his own, and he knew he would always be able to count on Ishida to lend a helping hand for anything. They got along well together, and he didn't want to force pressure and awkwardness on Ishida that would probably end up driving them apart.

Tilting his head slightly, Ichigo looked out his window to the sky outside. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining in a clear sky and through the glass he could see birds flying around. A small smile touched his lips and he watched the birds, looping and twisting around each other in perfect unison. He shifted back, his eyes now gazing at the cold hard grey ceiling above his bed. He sighed as he pondered ways in which he could tell Ishida what he wanted without putting the other boy under any pressure or discomfort. So far the only thing he had come up with that wasn't a complete and utter disaster was to just talk to him about it. Just sit him down in a neutral room and let him know that he'd developed feelings for Ishida that were more than just lust but he didn't expect Ishida to feel like he had to respond or do anything… No, he couldn't do that. Saying that would just make Ishida feel exactly how Ichigo didn't want him to feel: pressured and discomforted.

Sighing in frustration, Ichigo got up and decided to do some homework to take his mind off the situation. Perhaps if he had time to concentrate on other things and let the matter settle into his mind a little bit, he would able to look at it from a new angle and perhaps think of something then. He fell onto his seat, pulled out a workbook and flipped to the necessary page. After several minutes 

of note taking and answering questions, Ichigo's mind had wandered to the problem of telling Ishida. With slight difficulty, Ichigo brought it back to his homework. However, Mathematics was proving to be an extremely dull topic at the moment, and his mind flew immediately back to Ishida. Ichigo put his pen down and leant his head into his hands.

_Perhaps_, he thought wildly, _if I go to sleep, my dreams can help me figure something out_.

He made his way over to the bed and slid onto it, above the covers. Setting his alarm clock for an hour, Ichigo lay on his back, eyes closed and thought hard about his problem, willing sleep to come.

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**A/N: Hi all. So, what'd you think? For those who liked it, I am posting the next chapter in the next few days. R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again. Here's the second chapter that you've all been waiting for!**

**WARNING: ... I think it's pretty obvious that the previous warning will apply for this too, and the next... So I won't bother.**

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"Ichi-nii! Ichi-nii!"

There was a knock on his door. Ichigo groaned, turning over to see his sister poking her head into his room.

"Ichi-nii. Dinner's ready… are you feeling alright?"

"Mmmpft. I'll be with you in a moment."

"Ok…" Yuzu replied dubiously.

Ichigo rolled onto his back. Sleep had provided no help with giving him a solution. Sighing, he sat up and changed out of his uniform before going down to dinner. He had no idea what he could do other than talking about it upfront, and he wasn't sure he wanted to do that. He had never been good with words, and the idea of talking about relationships to someone – especially to the one he wanted a relationship with – was one he wasn't quite comfortable with. Maybe it was because he had never really talked about his feelings and wants in such an intimate way, or possibly because the relationship he wanted to explore was with another guy (who he had previously hated). Either way, he felt distinctly uncomfortable about discussing the matter.

_Which is rather ironic, really, seeing how I'm the one who wants to bring it up_, Ichigo thought wryly.

Ichigo entered the dining room and slumped into the chair, waiting for dinner to be served. His mind being focused solely on the issue of Ishida, he failed to notice the strange and worried looks he was receiving from his father and youngest sister, Yuzu.

"Ano, Ichi-nii," she began hesitantly. "Is something wrong?"

Ichigo started at his sister's voice. Looking up at her he grinned, trying to put her at ease. It seemed to work.

"It's just some school work that's giving me some trouble, that's all. It's nothing you need to worry about," he assured her.

Yuzu relaxed visibly. "Okay. Just don't let it wear you down too much."

Ichigo smiled softly. His sister was so mature for being so young. She had put a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, trying to be like Mum – taking care of the family but still being a little girl. He stood up and excused himself, saying that he was going to finish his homework. As he made his way back to his room, he failed to notice his father staring after him.

"Hmmm. Very serious investigation indeed," Isshin murmured to himself.

"Did you say something Dad?" Yuzu asked.

"What? No, it is nothing my darling daughter! Do not worry your beautiful head!"

With that, Isshin strode off, thinking about what he could do to uncover the secret his son was hiding from the rest of the family.

x x x x x x x x x x

The room was filled with heavy panting. Ichigo nudged Ishida towards the bed, nuzzling his neck as he did so. He undid the buttons on Ishida's top and pulled it off, his hands returning to roam over the Quincy's exposed torso. Hearing a low moan, Ichigo doubled his efforts. They reached the bed, and Ichigo leaned into Ishida hard enough that he fell back. Ichigo paused, suddenly thinking about how meaningless the sex was. Ishida looked up, a questioning look in his eyes, and Ichigo quickly bent down to capture the soft lips with his own, his hands cupping he soft face that melted under his touch.

Leaning forward, he pushed Ishida backwards. Ichigo began unbuckling the belt that held up Ishida's trousers, throwing it behind him. His patience began to erode as his body and his hormones reacted to the spectacle before him. He tore at Ishida's trousers, pulling the off and exposing smooth, white legs. Ichigo ran his hands up Ishida's legs and waist. His mouth created a trail up Ishida's leg, purposefully avoiding his boxers and resuming at Ishida's stomach. He continued upwards, teasing the moaning boy's nipples with his tongue. Ishida groaned loudly and tangled his hands into the deceptively soft orange hair.

Underneath him, Ichigo could fell Ishida's excitement, noting how fast it was growing. It reminded him of the pure physicality of their relationship and wondered, not for the first time, if that was all Ishida was interested in. He slowed down slightly, his own excitement calming down fractionally.

"Kurosaki?" Ichigo panted.

Ishida had looked up from his flat position on the bed, a worried look entering his eyes. Ichigo moved up, his hand brushing against Ishida's erection through his boxers. The touch induced a low groan from the boy and his arms gave out, causing him to fall back onto the bed. Ichigo's lips twitched as he reached out and grabbed the elastic waist of the boxers, pulling them off in one swift motion. Ishida hissed lightly as his rigid penis stood straight out from his body, quivering in anticipation. Ichigo leant forward, pulling Ishida flush up against him, his erection glaringly obvious between them. Ishida arranged himself so that he was straddling the other boy and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Are you ready?" Ichigo asked softly.

Ishida nodded, his breathing too heavy to be able to respond with words. Ichigo slid one hand between them, supporting Ishida with the other. Finally finding what he had been looking for, Ichigo slowly and carefully slid a finger into the puckered hole of Ishida's ass. A low, guttural moan escaped from the lips of both boys, though Ishida's was slightly more pained. Ichigo leisurely stirred his finger inside Ishida, who clutched his back in both pain and pleasure. After several moments of this he added a second finger and began to scissor them back and forth, creating room for something much bigger to come.

"K-Kurosaki…" Ishida breathed heavily. "Kurosaki, I want… I need you. Now."

Ichigo chuckled lightly. Ishida would always be bossy and demanding, even during sex.

"Let me get the lube—" he began, but Ishida shook his head and increased his grip on Ichigo.

"No… no lube," he said.

There was something in his voice, but Ichigo couldn't place what it was. Shrugging, he pulled his fingers out and lifted Ishida slightly, positioning himself at his entrance. Slowly, he lowered the quivering boy onto his hard cock. They sighed as one as Ichigo sheathed himself completely in Ishida, although Ichigo did notice the twinge of pain in the other boy's face. He wondered again why he had demanded that they not use lube, but he couldn't dwell on it for long. Ishida had begun to rock his hips against Ichigo's slightly, which sent electric shivers through his stomach. Wrapping his arms around the lithe frame of Ishida, he thrust up. Ishida gasped loudly. Ichigo latched onto Ishida's neck, continually thrusting into him as he did so. Ishida started to pant heavily as Ichigo bit and sucked at his neck and pounded into his ass.

All of a sudden, Ichigo pushed Ishida into the bed and leant over him. He moved Ishida slightly and the effect was immediate. He let out a deep-throated yell as Ichigo hit the right spot. Ichigo grinned when he saw Ishida clenching the sheets, and let go of one hand to grab Ishida's neglected, and desperately wanting, cock. He stroked it in time with his thrusts, feeling himself nearing his peak. He pushed harder, panting hard as well, pumping Ishida. His breath came shorter. He could feel his stomach getting warm, the pressure in his dick becoming overwhelming. After several more thrusts, he came strongly into Ishida, his breath momentarily taken away. Ishida followed seconds later, milky white substance shooting into Ichigo's chest. He collapsed next to Ishida and pulled him close. They lay like that for several moments, until they fell asleep from exhaustion.

x x x x x x x x x x

When Ishida woke up, he was surprised to find that he had been tucked into his bed, his glasses on the bedside table and his clothes folded neatly at the foot of his bed. Putting his glasses on, he looked around for Ichigo but realised that he had left. He looked at his clock – 08:56pm. He'd been asleep for close to an hour. Feeling hungry, he went down to the kitchen and made a light dinner. While he was eating, his mind wandered to the unusual behaviour of Ichigo. First there was the pause after he had been pushed onto the bed, and then again just before his boxers had been removed. He had seemed so distant that Ishida didn't want him to let go at all, worried that they would just stop. The blankness in Ichigo… it was as if something was bothering him or he was concentrating on something else… or some_one_ else. Ishida felt a strange emotion run through him briefly, and it took him a moment to realise that it was jealousy.

"Stop being ridiculous!" Ishida scolded himself. "It's not like we're in an actual relationship, so why should I be jealous?"

He sat there, thinking furiously and analysing the situation. They were just about sex. Both Ichigo and Ishida knew that. So why should he care that Ichigo had developed an interest in someone else? He sat there for quite a few minutes until it hit him: he cared because he felt something for the orange haired idiot that was more than just sexual. It hurt him that Ichigo was interested in someone else because it meant that he would no longer be able to enjoy his company, physical and otherwise. Because, he realised with a small jolt of surprise, he did enjoy Ichigo's company just for his presence. Ishida let his head fall to the table, reality rolling over him in waves. How could he face him now? Knowing what he did, he didn't think he'd ever be able to look him in the eyes again. Sighing heavily, Ishida made his way back to his room and pulled out his homework. It was going to be a long night.

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**A/N: Well there it is. I hope it was ok - I though the sex scene was a bit iffy, so if you have any comments, criticisms, whatever, about that please tell me (I need the feedback for future stories that will run along similar lines, and if you don't like it... well, there's no point writing it really). **

**PS - The next chapter will be the last**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. I apologise for the long wait for this chapter - I've been flying around the world for the past few days - just Honolulu and LA really... so internet access hasn't been easy. But finally I have all the internet I want so here is the long awaited chapter. **

**WARNING: no warning... hmmm... something weird is going on...**

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For several days now, Ishida had watched Ichigo out of the corner of his eye. He was frustrated with himself at how paranoid he had become over this, but he couldn't help himself. It was driving him crazy. He considered talking to Ichigo about it, but then he realised how stupid that would be: Ichigo wasn't interested in him that way, and he didn't want any awkwardness between them over that. Granted that things would be awkward between them over having to break up—

_No, I will not think of it as breaking up. I cannot!_ Ishida thought fiercely to himself. His hands clenched into fists and he sighed heavily. Leaning against the tree, he let his head fall back and closed his eyes.

x x x x x x x x x x

Ichigo glanced over at Ishida. Something had been bothering him for the past few days, but Ichigo had no idea what it was. He hoped it wasn't something he had done. Tuning out Inoue's rambling on about some new combination of food she had created – no doubt just as bad as the countless others – he thought about his relationship with Ishida, wondering how, and if, he should tell Ishida about his feelings for him. Maybe he shouldn't since Ishida had been in such a weird and depressed mood lately; news like that would probably send him over the edge. Still, maybe he should just let him know. After all, it would hardly be fair to hold such expectations of him without letting him know. But…

_Get a hold of yourself, _baka_! You face stuff far worse than this everyday and you never get scared. So why the hell are you afraid of talking to Ishida?_ Ichigo reprimanded himself. It did him no good though. True, he did face massive monsters each day, although none of them really came close to being life threatening, and yet here he was, faced with a conversation to a friend and lover and he was too scared to approach him. He turned to look at Ishida again.

_Just do it. Tell him. Let him know. Get it off your chest. It'll be for the best in the long run_, he thought. Inhaling deeply he stood up and walked over to Ishida. _You can do this_, he told himself.

"Ishida, could I talk to you for a moment?" he asked.

Ishida's eyes flew open, betraying a glimpse of emotion before it was masked with careful indifference. Ichigo thought he saw sadness and resignation. What was troubling him to make him feel like that and what had he done to cause it? Or was it even him? Maybe Ishida had fallen for someone else… Ichigo hesitated for a moment, but gathered him resolve. He would carry through with this, no matter what. Ishida got up and together they walked into the trees a bit, far enough that the others couldn't hear them but not too far so as to cause suspicion.

"What is it, Kurosaki?" Ishida demanded, but it had lost its edge. Whatever was bothering Ishida definitely had something to do with him.

"I… I wanted to talk… about us," Ichigo began hesitantly, searching Ishida's face for a response. What he saw surprised him: the sadness and resignation were back, along with a look of utter defeat and loss. Ichigo pressed on before he lost his resolve completely.

"I know that we're just about sex but lately I've wanted us to be… more. Ever since we've gotten closer, I've realised who you really are and I've come to really enjoy your company, even when we're 

arguing. I understand completely though if you don't feel the same way and if this makes you uncomfortable. Just let me know if you are and we can… break it off, I guess. Though, if it's possible I'd like to stay friends at least."

Ichigo looked down at the ground between them, scared to see what was in Ishida's eyes. Despite what he had said about being ok with breaking it off, Ichigo was terrified of being rejected by Ishida. He knew thought that, realistically, the chances of Ishida feeling the same were slim.

"_You are I are Shinigami and Quincy. The next time we meet, we will be enemies,"_ Ichigo remembered him saying after the rescue of Rukia. And he had flaunted his opinion of Ichigo too many times to count. He knew how Ishida felt, so why should he expect any different. Yet a voice in the back of his head wouldn't leave him be. It wasn't the voice of his Hollow, but perhaps it was the old man Zangetsu. _If the Quincy boy was so set on hating you, would he have committed himself to you as much as he has?_ The words calmed Ichigo marginally but he still could not look at Ishida, scared that what he was in those brilliant blue eyes would undo all the resolve he had.

The bell rang suddenly and Ichigo jumped into the air. Stuttering out an excuse, he left swiftly, knowing his actions betrayed his words but not caring. He couldn't look at Ishida, at his eyes. Had he done so, however, he would have seen not the scorn and pity he was expecting but the bewilderment and, most significantly, the elation and joy that rose through the bewilderment, surprise and relief to outshine them all.

As Ichigo ran off towards the building Ishida stared after him, a smile threatening to break out on his face. He hadn't felt this happy since when his grandfather taught him the skills of being a Quincy. Slowly, he walked back to his classroom, keeping his face carefully composed. If anyone saw him smiling he'd never hear the end of it. When he entered the classroom he carefully avoided Ichigo's eyes. It hurt him to do that but he knew that if he did, he would blow his cover, in public. The lesson sped by and before he knew it, school was over for the day. He turned to talk to Ichigo and was disappointed to see he had left already.

_Of course he would have if you didn't look at him when you got back_, he thought sourly. _Oh well, I'll go see him after the handicraft club is over_. Ishida frowned slightly as he remembered the club. It wouldn't finish for ages and he couldn't skip it. If he did, people would look into it and then he'd never be able to tell Ichigo that he felt the same.

As he sat in the club room, he couldn't stop himself from constantly looking at the clock. Time was moving too slow for him and he became increasingly frustrated. After what seemed like at least ten hours, the club was closing. Ishida nonchalantly stood up and packed his things. He waited until a handful of people left before striding out determinedly. He left the school compound and turned to follow the path that led to Ichigo's home. Looking at his watch, he hoped it wouldn't be too late to visit.

x x x x x x x x x x

Ichigo had been staring at the wall for at least three hours when his substitute shinigami badge started ringing. He looked at the badge blankly for several seconds before picking it up and numbly pressing it to his chest. He had expected Ishida's reaction to be bad but he had never imagined it to be as bad as it had been. Ishida had completely shut down on him. He didn't even look at him when he got back to the classroom. Ichigo doubted they would remain friends after this; Ishida probably would talk to him. He was an idiot to have though t hat Ishida would take something like that well. He sighed as his body hit the floor. He moved his body to the bed and arranged it so that it would look like he was sleeping. Then he took off. As he got closer to the location of the Hollow, he hoped that it would be big and powerful. He wanted a distraction from the endless thoughts running around his head. But when he got to the old abandoned complex he found only two Hollows the size of his house. He felled them in two simple strikes. As the dissolved into nothing, Ichigo's mind immediately focused on the problem with Ishida, the vanquished Hollows already forgotten. He didn't want to return home just yet, so he wandered through the complex. Parts of it had been demolished or had fallen down over time. He sighed heavily and leant against a wall gingerly, hoping that it was stable.

"How am I going to face Ishida from now on? I should never have told him. Why, why, _why_ did I tell him?" Ichigo banged his head against the wall then groaned. "I was an idiot to thing that this could work, that he wouldn't be completely freaked out. I'm so stupid!"

x x x x x x x x x x

Ishida arrived at the Kurosaki household shortly after seven. He hesitated slightly before ringing the bell. Moments later the door flew open, Kurosaki Isshin standing in the doorway.

"Good evening. How may I help you?" he inquired politely, his medical and business-like matter taking over.

"Ah, I'm here to see Kurosaki… Ichigo. Is he home?" Ishida asked.

Isshin stared at him briefly. Perhaps this boy had something to do with his son's odd behaviour of late, especially tonight.

"Are you a friend of his?"

There was a slight pause before a hesitant "Yes" answered his question. Isshin stared at the boy again. Perhaps they had a falling out or… a lover's dispute?

"Are you in a relationship with my son?" he demanded bluntly.

Ishida turned bright red and stammered out a negative. He seemed so appalled at the thought that Isshin immediately apologised and retracted his assumption. He let Ishida in and directed him to Ichigo's room. Ishida thanked him and wandered over to the stairs that led to Ichigo's room.

_Hmm… so it's not relationship troubles. This calls for further investigation!_ Isshin thought fiercely. _I will assist my poor son with his problems!_ Isshin headed to a sofa and sat down, running the possibilities of Ichigo's dilemma through his head. Seconds later he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He twisted in his seat to see Ishida descending the staircase.

"That was fast," he commented with surprise. "Are you finished already?"

Ishida shook his head. "He was asleep. I'll come back another time, if that's ok with you."

Isshin nodded his agreement, silently wondering why he couldn't talk to his son at school. He gave a mental shrug and said goodnight to Ishida. After he left, Isshin fell back to the soda, his eyes wandering to where his son's room would be. What could possibly be causing his son to be in such a depressed mood? It obviously wasn't relationship troubles – at least, not with that boy. Maybe it was a common teenager thing that he didn't understand. Conformity issues or peer pressure. Or maybe school was just getting a bit too much to handle. He remembered Ichigo saying several days ago that he had some homework problems. All of a sudden, things became crystal clear. The only problems his son had were to do with school work. Everything made sense! Assisted by this new revelation, Isshin decided that he would ease up on Ichigo until his school problems were all sorted out. Please with how smart he was, Isshin decided to watch some TV.

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**SURPRISE!! I extended the story - yet again! However, the next chapter (I'm pretty sure) will be the last. So enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. I am SO sorry that I made you wait this long for the long-awaited, and unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint - I know it's mine), final chapter. The writer's block I had was killing me, but I finally managed to get the ending down and so this story is now complete.**

**WARNING: the usual YAOI**

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Ichigo arrived at school later than usual due to his inability to go to sleep last night. Running fast, he managed to get to his seat mere seconds before the bell rang, disregarding the strange looks he was getting from his friends, especially from Ishida. He disappeared at lunch, not caring what the others thought. They'd probably assume he went to Urahara's anyway. He didn't care. Right now all he wanted was to avoid Ishida – at all costs. He didn't think he could cope with a verbal affirmation of his lack of mutual affection.

As soon as the bell signalled the end of school, Ichigo was out the door, solidly ignoring the calls of his friends. Instead of taking the normal route home, he walked past Urahara's store and down to the main river in Karakura. He walked along the edge, staring blankly into the murky depths. It was late when he got home and he entered the house prepared for an onslaught from his father. None came however, and instead of puzzling it over Ichigo thanked the gods and snuck into his room. Sighing, he dumped his bag on his chair and flopped into the bed.

An insistent and nagging sound woke him up. It was his substitute shinigami badge again. Cursing, Ichigo pushed the badge into his chest and leapt out the window. He sped to the location of the Hollows, stopping abruptly when he saw that there wasn't just one or two but at least fifty. Ichigo managed a ghost of a grin. Finally, he had something to vent his frustrations on. With a wild cry he swung Zangetsu, slicing and dicing every Hollow that filled his view. After a minute or two he began to tire and realised that the Hollows wouldn't stop coming.

The situation tickled at the back of his mind but he couldn't grasp it. It was only when a blazing blue arrow swept past his face, obliterating the last Hollow, that it clicked: Ishida's Hollow bait. He spun around and saw Ishida standing calmly before him. He turned to leave but Ishida's voice stopped him. Slowly, he turned back, stomach filling with dread at the words that were to come.

Ishida studied Ichigo, his heart clenching at how defeated he looked. He took a step towards him but stopped when Ichigo took a step back.

"Kurosaki, listen to me," Ishida began, but Ichigo was still walking backwards. Ishida walked towards him swiftly. He wasn't about to let a perfect opportunity go to waste. Ichigo turned and fled using _shunpo_ but Ishida had been ready for that. Ichigo slammed into him and they stumbled to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Kurosaki," Ishida said, pinned underneath but holding on firmly. "Kurosaki, you must listen to me!" he yelled, but Ichigo wasn't listening. He was struggling hard against Ishida's grip and was quickly gaining the upper hand. He got free and stood up immediately and began to run.

"Kurosaki, please," he begged.

Ichigo stopped. Ishida never begged. Did he feel guilty for hurting him and wanted to explain? The thought nearly had Ichigo running again. However… _If the Quincy boy was so set on hating you, would he have committed himself to you as much as he has?_ The words echoed in his head. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned around to face Ishida, who had approached him while he was lost in thought. Ishida hesitantly reached for Ichigo's hands, heartened slightly when he made no move to resist.

"When you told me how you felt at lunch yesterday, I didn't reply because I was surprised and… happy." At this, Ichigo's head snapped up and he stared into Ishida's eyes. "At first," he continued, "I was worried that maybe you were interested in someone else. I felt jealous and angry and sad and… scared. Scared that I would lose you. I was so depressed after that, so hearing you say that you felt the same way was such a relief for me that I couldn't speak. When I got back to the classroom I couldn't look at you because then everyone would know and I didn't want that to happen. Then last night when I went to your place you weren't there, well at least your soul wasn't, so I decided to use my Hollow bait to get you here so I could talk to you. So I could tell you that I want there to be more between us as well."

Ichigo stared intently into Ishida's eyes for so long that he started to blush and shift slightly. Ichigo moved then, enveloping Ishida in a tight hug and burying his head into the pale junction above the shoulders. Ishida returned the hug and the two of them remained in this position until a sharp wind reminded Ishida of how cold he was. Ichigo pulled back when he trembled which caused Ishida to tremble again, harder.

"Come with me," he whispered, and led them back to his room, where he got back into his body. He pulled Ishida down next to him and held him close, but not doing any more. Ishida looked up at him, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Is something wrong? You look so serious and… you're holding me kind of tight," he whispered, somehow finding it appropriate; any louder would have destroyed the tranquillity that resided. Ichigo immediately let go of him and sat up, running a hand through his hair. Ishida followed, laying a hand gently on his shoulder. "Ichigo?"

He turned sharply, his eyes widening. Ishida stared back at him, confused, until realisation hit him. He had called him by his first name, without thinking. And it had seemed so right. He reached forward and placed a hand on Ichigo's face.

"Ichigo," he said simply, feeling a heady rush when he said his name. He place his other hand on Ichigo's face. "Ichigo," he repeated, feeling more sure of himself as he did. He stared into Ichigo's eyes, exploring the depth of emotions held there.

Ichigo stared back and hesitated. He had never felt so nervous before in his life. He was unsure of what he should do; he didn't want this to be just another fuck, after all. Ishida must have picked up the tension and nervousness of Ichigo because he began to caress his face soothingly. He searched Ichigo's eyes one more time before leaning forward and capturing his lips, gently and softly.

Ichigo responded slowly. Strangely, he felt like it was his first time with Ishida. He trembled slightly, an action that was not missed by Ishida. He moved his hands down to Ichigo's shoulders and rubbed them softly, never breaking his contact with Ichigo's lips. Slowly, he pulled Ichigo closer to him, who was gaining his old confidence by the minute. He pushed against Ishida slightly and they fell to the floor, yelling in surprise.

"Ichi-nii!" Are you ok?" Yuzu called out as she opened the door,

Ichigo and Ishida shot a fearful glance at each other. Ichigo looked up at the door as it opened further. He tried to stand up but Ishida was holding tightly to him. He looked back down at him, a demanding and questioning look in his eyes. A second later his surroundings blurred, clarifying shortly afterwards, but not as his room. He was outside, the streets and houses rushing past as Ishida led them, presumably, to his home. He shivered, having never experienced this level of speed such as his _shunpo_ in his human body, and clung closer to Ishida.

x x x x x x x x x x

When they arrived at his home, a simple but practical apartment, Ichigo remained at the front door. Coming here had made everything more real and more frightening a prospect to him. He knew that he and Ishida had fucked many times before, but now that they had acknowledged their feelings for each other, everything seemed different.

Ishida turned when Ichigo didn't follow him and took his hand gently in his own. Ichigo took heart from this and smiled faintly at Ishida before following him into his apartment, looking around while he shut the door and turned on some lights. He started when he felt Ishida's presence at his shoulder.

Hesitantly, Ishida wrapped his arms around Ichigo's broad frame. He had never really initiated much before, but Ichigo didn't seem to be able to do much at the moment. Feeling Ichigo melt into his embrace, he grinned and started kissing his neck. Ichigo leant into him more, moaning softly.

Ishida guided him to his room, slowly undoing the buttons on Ichigo's shirt. Turning Ichigo, he pulled his shirt off and pushed him onto the bed. He felt exhilarated, taking control. He grinned seductively, crawling onto Ichigo's lap and kissed him. Things began to progress more quickly after that: Ishida's shirt was soon flying in the air and Ishida pressed himself into Ichigo. He froze. Ishida pulled back.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried. The expression on Ichigo's face caused his chest to clench painfully. "What is it?" he whispered fearfully.

Ichigo hesitated briefly before replying. "Uryuu, I don't… I don't want this to be just another… another… well, you know what I mean," he muttered, blushing slightly. "This time is different," he continued. "This time it actually means something for us and I don't want it to be one of those quick fucks."

Ishida was speechless. He had no idea that Ichigo felt so strongly about the whole situation. Then he smiled. "Of course it won't be," he replied warmly. "We love each other."

At this, both boys blushed furiously. Neither had really thought about that aspect of it all, and the words had just spilled out of Ishida's mouth. But instead of calming him like he had hoped, Ichigo only tensed up more.

_He worries about it that much_, Ishida thought in awe. He rolled off Ichigo and lay next to him as understanding dawned. He had been doing exactly what Ichigo hadn't wanted: rushing and treating it as another one of their fucks. He wrapped his arms around him and moved closer.

"I'm sorry," he said, knowing Ichigo would understand what he meant. In response, Ichigo turned and kissed Ishida's nose, laughing softly at the startled expression on his face. Then he went for his lips, kissing them with a passion that was matched by Ishida.

x x x x x x x x x x

They lay on Ishida's bed, utterly spent. The night had been long, filled with soft caresses and extensive explorations of each other. Ichigo watched as Ishida, sound asleep and snoring softly, pressed himself further into his embrace. He smiled, content. He had never suspected things would turn out so well. Brushing aside a stray lock of hair that was covering Ishida's face, he planted a kiss on his forehead and lay back, listening to Ishida's steady breathing until he fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Hi there. I just wanted to thank everyone who supported my story. It made me feel very happy and proud of myself - corny and lame I know but whatever!! ;) Hope to hear from you all again soon.**


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